Tainted Water
by catheriney2004
Summary: Natsume and Mikan are 16 now. Mikan has continued to try and make him smile, and has gotten ver close to doing so. But what happens when Natsume suddenly says he hates her? A lesson about lies and truth. Read and review. One-shot. Poem written by me.


Summary: Mikan and Natsume are 16 now, and nothing has changed between them

**Summary: **Mikan and Natsume are 16 now, and nothing has changed between them. They're still fighting, fighting, fighting. But whenever Mikan asks him if he likes her even a tiny bit, he always says "No." Mikan feels as if her heart is breaking. But what happens when she writes a poem about lies and tainted water? A short one-shot for those out there who have been lied to.

**Catheriney2004: **Well, I'M BACK AGAIN!! I have SO many ideas stuck in my head right now, so expect a steady flow of one-shots and multi-chapter stories! I'm doing this quickly, 'cause school starts in a few days!! O-O Don't mind me if I take forever to update my other stories, if you please! I'm a busy girl! (hides) PLEASE LET ME LIVE!! Hee hee. Uhhh, a little _too_ dramatic there. But whatever, I'll just start now! See ya!

(Oh yeah, I don't own Gakuen Alice, for those of you out there that were wondering…….But **I OWN THE POEM. I WROTE IT MYSELF, ALRIGHT?**)

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A smiling, cheery, young brunette leaped across the blinding white snow, kicking up the frosty ice while she ran. She was heading towards the Sakura tree that she always went to during their free times – And "why?" you ask? Well, her beloved Natsume was there, too.

Natsume was the heart-throb of the high-school, and was chased daily by crazy fan girls all over school. And so, his famous secret hide-out had become the old Sakura tree in the school yards, where the fan girls could not reach him.

He had always been among the coldest people Mikan had ever met, and yet, that didn't stop her from wanting to console him. He was like a lone wolf, keeping away from the others, no matter how much he might want to be with them. So sad.

Mikan had always been a cheerful girl, and her high spirits had always cheered the class up. Except Natsume. He never seemed to _want_ to cheer up. No matter how hard she tried, he still just wouldn't smile. She had often wondered how it was possible for one _not_ to smile. Natsume was the first person she had ever met that couldn't smile, but she was determined to change that.

No wonder she had fallen for him.

Mikan leapt gracefully over the large pile of snow that had been blocking her path, and she looked hesitantly at the Sakura tree; her destination. Her pretty face looked troubled, and her eyes were a pool of doubt. Maybe Natsume wouldn't want any company today. After all, he had been skipping classes again. She glanced, unsure, at the tall, bare, tree in front of her.

She could see Natsume clearly through the thick brambles, but she couldn't see his expression. Her heart and her head battled for a few moments, before she decided that it would be okay to climb on up there with him.

She climbed carefully up the thick trunk of the Sakura tree, and she pulled herself up onto the branch that Natsume always sat on. Her hands a little numb from the cold, she stuffed them into her soft, warm pockets, not noticing the crimson-eyed boy watching her intently.

Suddenly, Mikan smiled, and turned her head to Natsume. He immediately stopped looking at her – he merely turned his head casually, as if she didn't exist. Her eyes clouded in doubt, and she wondered vaguely if she shouldn't have come today. She said,

"Hey, Natsume. Wanna go to central town with me today?"

"No. Baka."

"MOU! I'm not a Baka, Natsume, and my name is Mikan!"

Natsume turned to her, his eyes cold, and said,

"Just go away. You're annoying me."

Mikan's eyes widened in shock; Natsume had never been this cold before! And she had just started to think that he was getting better, too! She tried to keep her emotions tied down, and she asked him quietly,

"Do you hate me, Natsume?"

The crimson-eyed boy was quiet for a few moments, not seeming to feel like answering her question. But then, he said bluntly,

"Yes. Now get out of my sight."

Mikan's amber-brown eyes widened even more in pure shock and disbelief. So he hated her after all, huh?

She struggled to hold her fierce tears of regret back, and she quietly whispered,

"Okay, then. I'm sorry for bothering you so much."

And she slipped down the Sakura tree, ignoring the eyes of the boy that had just rejected her.

She kept her head down, not wanting to see the cold look on his face, and she ran off, still holding back the struggling tears of regret. What had she done wrong? _Where_ had she gone wrong? Had she ever done anything bad to him? Had she ever _hurt_ him? Never. This was the end of their friendship. The end of her love. Forever.

The next day, Natsume was in the class, and he was sitting with his feet on the desk, as usual. He was calm and cold on the outside, but only he himself knew what was going on inside of him.

His heart thudded painfully when the door slid open, and a pretty brunette appeared gracefully at the door. She had bags under her eyes, and her hazel eyes were a bit puffy from crying. She greeted the class with a small, "good morning," and proceeded to her seat, not even saying good morning to Ruka and Hotaru, like she usually did. And she didn't even _glance_ at Natsume.

She ignored the bewildered stares from the rest of her class, and she sat down in her seat, pulling out their homework assignment from the earlier day. She placed it gently down on the desk, face down, and zipped her bag shut. She slumped over the homework, her hands half-crossed over the desk, and buried her face in the small space that it made. She didn't say another word to the rest of the class for the rest of the morning recess.

A few minutes later, Narumi-sensei walked in, his usual homeroom folder in his hands. When Mikan didn't greet him with her usual perky, "Good morning, Sensei!" and he looked at her in surprise, his eyes wide in shock. He saw her staring blankly at the chalk-board, and he threw his troubles aside. She was probably just contemplating her life. Or something like that.

A few moments later, he called out for the assignments to be brought up to the desk to be examined. The assignment yesterday had been to write a poem with a moral and a meaning in it. The class had all groaned in disgust, but none-the-less, they had all completed it. Except Natsume – he never completed his homework.

Mikan was the last to hand her assignment in, though for some reason, she did it without her usual "home-work-hand-in-nervousness."

The class watched in a stunned silence as she merely walked back to her seat, without uttering a single nervous yelp about her bad assignment – not even one. She resumed her quiet sulking at her seat, as the class took a noisy 5-minute break while Narumi sensei graded and skimmed through the sloppy pile of homework.

A few minutes later, (**Me: **I don't even think it'd be _appropriate_ to explain what happens during their breaks. XD) Narumi Sensei ended the chaotic recess, and he said,

"All of the poems were rather nice, but there was one that really caught my eye. There was no name on it, though. Whose is it?"

No one raised their hands. Sure, they wanted to be the one that caught the sensei's eye, but they weren't cheaters.

They glanced around at the other class mates, as if trying to search out the student that had written something goods enough to catch sensei's eye. No clue.

Then, suddenly, Narumi-sensei said,

"Alright, then! I'll just read it aloud and see whose it is, alright?"

And he began to read the poem aloud to the class, who were all listening intently. Except for Mikan, that is. She was still burying her face in her arms. But if you had looked carefully, you might have seen her fingers twitching, just a little……..

The poem went like this:

"**Lies are tainted water,**

**That falls straight from the sky.**

**They poison, hurt, and carry**

**All of your doubts inside.**

**Lies are tainted water,**

**Spun right from a web.**

**And like a web, they capture**

**Dreams and hopes once they are spread.**

**Lies are tainted water,**

**That falls straight from the sky.**

**They come from mouths of plotters who are insecure inside.**

**Lies are tainted water,**

**That poisons and destroys.**

**So draw out all that poison,**

**And throw it out like a broken toy.**

**Truth is like a shining star,**

**On a foggy day.**

**So if by chance you tell a lie,**

**Next time, watch what you say."**

The class sat in a stunned silence. Such meaningful words. But who in the world could have written that?! Their eyes searched the classroom hungrily yet again, though two of them remained rooted to the spot.

One was Mikan, slightly annoyed because of the sudden read-aloud to the class – especially because it was _her_ writing.

And Natsume, who was sitting on his seat the right way for once, his eyes wide with shock – and something else. Understanding….?

Suddenly, Natsume jumped up from his seat, grabbed Mikan's hand, and pulled her briskly out of the classroom, leaving the rest of them in a total state of shock.

_What the - !? _ Was the only thing going through their heads, and Ko Ko knew he'd be scarred for life because of their sudden inner outburst.

Meanwhile, Natsume was pulling Mikan through the hallways, earning stare from the rest of the school. He ignored them, though, and kept on dragging Mikan on the ground, towards the school-yard.

Minutes later, they arrived at the Sakura tree, where Natsume had hurt Mikan very badly just the day before. Mikan's heart thudded painfully at the sight of the tree, and she pulled her hand away from Natsume, shocking him. He turned around, his eyes wide, and all he saw was his beloved Mikan sitting on the grass, her face contorted with inner pain.

Suddenly, he grabbed her by the hand again, making her lurch up into the air, and he pulled her into a warm embrace.

Mikan was shocked. What was he doing? Hadn't he said that he hated her? Was he………..apologizing?

Mikan pushed herself away from Natsume's chest, her face blazing, and she said,

"What are you doing? Didn't you say that you….._hated me?_"

The words hurt her so much when she said them, and she had to bite her lip to keep from crying. She had already cried too much. She didn't want to be weak.

Suddenly, Natsume opened his mouth to speak, and he said,

"I'll never lie to you again. I'm sorry, Mikan. I don't hate you."

Mikan's hazel-eyes widened, and her mouth opened in shock. Why? Why had he suddenly said sorry? Why!? Suddenly, Mikan thought of the poem that she had worked so hard on, and her eyes returned to normal. Oh…….the poem. That was all. It was just because of a poem.

Suddenly, she pulled away from him, and said,

"Its okay, Natsume. You don't need to do this just because of my stupid poem. It's not worth your time."

And she began to dash off, small tears prickling beneath her eyelashes. It had gone all wrong. All wrong. Why had she said that!? She had really been so happy when he had said he didn't hate her. Really happy.

She kept on running, until suddenly, she felt another tug on her arm. She was pulled into yet another warm embraced, except this time, she couldn't get out of it. She pushed as hard as she could, and she still couldn't even budge in Natsume's tight hug. She gave up after awhile, and she merely sat limp in his arms. That was when he spoke.

"I'm sorry, Mikan. I never wanted things to be this way. I only wanted to protect you."

Suddenly, Mikan felt a surge of anger shoot through her body, and she pushed herself violently out of Natsume's grasp. She said furiously,

"Well, maybe you should have thought more carefully about how to "protect" me. Goodbye, Natsume."

And she marched off proudly, though tears of pure pain flowed quietly from her hazel eyes.

_Goodbye, Natsume. Goodbye._ She thought, and that concludes this story.

_But_, of course, if you prefer a happy ending to stories, then start reading here:

"_I'll never lie to you again. I'm sorry. I don't hate you Mikan."_

Mikan's eyes widened in shock, and she stared at Natsume in pure disbelief. But then, after a few moments of staring into his crimson eyes, an elated smile grew across her pretty face. Yes. He didn't hate her.

And she threw her arms around his neck, crying tears of joy. Natsume smiled – yes, _smiled_, and hugged her back with all of the warmth he could muster. They were so in love.

Years after that, they were married.

And a few years after _that,_ they had a healthy girl. And guess what they named her?

Mitsume.

Funny how things work out, isn't it?

The main point of this story – whether you read the sad ending or the happy ending – was that lies are not the way to go. Circumstances that don't involve strangers should mostly be handled with truth, not lies. But, then again……….everyone lies at least once in their life, right?

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**Catheriney2004: **So, how was it? At first, I was only going to end it sadly, but then I thought about how depressing that was, so I added the happy ending. I hope you like it!

**Also read and review:**

**Sakura Flower –**

Mikan Sakura is a very advanced Alice user, and possesses many Alices, dues to the fact that she originally had the Nullification Alice and the Stealing Alice. She has enrolled herself in Alice Academy for unknown reasons. When Mikan starts going to Alice Academy, she becomes a popular idol of those around her, due to her smarts and beauty. But, where does Mikan disappear off to at night and occasionally at school?

No one knows where Mikan goes except for Hotaru and herself. And all _we_ know is that Mikan's parents have been captured by the AAO, (Anti-Alice Organization) and she is _not_ gonna just sit there and watch them be used. But she has two choices. Take her parents back and let AAO slowly dominate the world? Or kill her parents mercilessly and take the AAO down quickly? Read to find out which road she takes.

**The Cruise – **

Mikan Sakura, daughter of the richest business man and woman in the world, is going on a private, around-the-world cruise with her parents. Or so she thinks. Unfortunately, her parents have invited all of their friends, along with their children. They just happen to be around the same age as Mikan, and are also filthy rich. What will happen between these people? Read to find out.

**A Stumble Into the Olympics –**

Mikan Sakura is looking for a job. She's got the looks, the smarts, and the strength to do just about anything. But she can't find work suitable for her. She's not picky about the jobs or anything, but it's just that whenever is hired for a decent job, the guys always flirt with her! How the heck is she gonna find a job that doesn't involve all of these flirts?! Well, the answer is clear, for one day, she miraculously finds a flyer saying that Natsume Hyuuga, world class Olympic swimmer, is looking for an agent! She immediately goes for the job, and does she get hired? Well, that's for me to know and you to find out.

**Breaking Through the Ice – **

Mikan, a lowly beggar, is in a depressed state. Why live when you can die? She asks herself. Why try when you'll just fail? But those questions just might be washed away when she coincidentally meets a boy by the name of Natsume Hyuuga, who just happens to be a billionaire child-genius. What will happen to these two? Read to find out.

**Only a Burden – **

Mikan Sakura, a 13-year-old female, is a patient at Alice's Hospital – A.K.A the hospital for those who are doomed to die. She writes a poem about her sorrow. A sad story and a lesson to all. One-shot.

**Who I Am Inside – **

Hotaru has hurt Mikan's feelings for the umpteenth time in her life. _Why?_ She asks herself. _Why can't I even be nice to my best friend?_ This is a one-shot that touches the heart to the very core.

**Tainted Water – **

Mikan and Natsume are 16 now, and nothing has changed between them. They're still fighting, fighting, fighting. But whenever Mikan asks him if he likes her even a tiny bit, he always says "No." Mikan feels as if her heart is breaking. But what happens when she writes a poem about lies and tainted water? A short one-shot for those out there who have been lied to.

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!! SATISFACTION GUARENTEED!!**


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